Ye Yanxi still remembered the first time she saw Jiang Pinzhen. Jiang looked extremely elegant. Her skin was well - maintained, and one could hardly tell that she was already in her forties. With every gesture, she exuded the dignity and gentleness of a noble lady. She looked no more than a woman in her early thirties.
At that time, Ye Yanxi truly liked Jiang Pinzhen, especially the soothing aura that surrounded her. It made Ye feel that Jiang was extremely approachable.
However, just a few short months had passed, and Jiang Pinzhen had clearly become haggard. She was no longer the elegant woman she used to be.
At this moment, her body seemed extremely frail. Her cheeks had sunken, and she had lost a lot of weight. There were dark circles under her eyes, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were impossible to hide. Time had left its marks on her face. Even though she applied a lot of foundation in an attempt to cover up the traces of the years, it was in vain.
On closer inspection, there were quite a few gray hairs mixed in with her once - black hair. Now, Jiang Pinzhen looked much older than her actual age.
Just now, she had been eager to stand up, but her ankle was injured. The moment she stood up, her body trembled violently, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
Although Ye Yanxi had firmly decided in her heart that she would not recognize Jiang Pinzhen as her mother, at this moment, her heart skipped a beat. After all, she couldn't be that heartless.
"I didn't say I was letting you go," Ye Yanxi said calmly. Apparently, Jiang Pinzhen had misunderstood her meaning.
Jiang Pinzhen seemed startled. "Then... then you..."
Suddenly, realizing what Ye meant, Jiang's face lit up with joy. She quickly reached out her hand to grab Ye Yanxi. "Xiaoxi, does this mean you're going to forgive Mom? I..."
Unexpectedly, Ye Yanxi took a step back, avoiding her hand. She still spoke in a calm tone. "Mrs. He, don't misunderstand. You got injured in front of my house, and the doctor hasn't arrived yet. I just invited you to have a meal with us."
The look of joy in Jiang Pinzhen's eyes dimmed a little, and she lowered her eyelashes.
However, although Ye Yanxi hadn't forgiven her, she had personally come out to invite her to dinner and was willing to talk to her. Didn't this mean that their relationship was starting to ease?
"Is that all?" There was still a glimmer of hope in Jiang Pinzhen's eyes. She stared at Ye Yanxi without blinking, longing for their mother - daughter relationship to get closer.
"To me, you're an elder. So, no matter who comes to my house as a guest, I'll do the same." Ye Yanxi sounded a bit impatient. "So, do you want to have dinner? If not..."
"Yes, of course I do!" Jiang Pinzhen immediately agreed. Then she looked at her foot embarrassedly. "But I can't walk."
In her heart, she was wondering if Ye Yanxi would be willing to help her over.
However, Ye Yanxi just turned around and walked towards the dining room. Then she called Hongxia to help Jiang to the dining room.
This meal was the happiest one Jiang Pinzhen had had in a long time. Although she hardly used her chopsticks during the whole meal, she felt extremely satisfied. She had been in no mood to eat in the past few days, but tonight she ate more than usual.
During the meal, Ye Yanxi didn't say a word. Everyone ate in silence.
After the meal, the doctor from Xiao Yuan finally arrived.
The doctor examined Jiang Pinzhen and confirmed that her ankle injury was quite serious. Her ankle was dislocated. After massaging it, the doctor told her to rest well for a few days and not to walk around.
Since she couldn't drive, Xiao Yu called the Jiang family. Jiang Ye came to pick up Jiang Pinzhen.
When Jiang Ye arrived, he took Jiang Pinzhen away. Ye Yanxi stayed on the second floor and never came down until Jiang Pinzhen left the villa. Before leaving, Jiang Pinzhen looked up at the second - floor in anticipation, but in the end, she left the villa disappointed.
After seeing off Jiang Pinzhen and Jiang Ye, Xiao Yu went up to the second floor. When he opened the door, he found that Ye Yanxi wasn't lying in bed reading as usual. Instead, she was standing by the open window. The gentle breeze blew her hair in all directions, making her look lonely and desolate.
Xiao Yu didn't call out to her. Instead, he tiptoed quietly behind Ye Yanxi. So, Ye, who was concentrating on looking out of the window, didn't notice Xiao Yu at all.
Standing behind her, Xiao Yu followed her gaze and saw Jiang Pinzhen's car leaving the villa. Ye had her hands on her lower abdomen, and her expression was hard to read. He wondered what was going on in her mind.
Two slender hands quietly wrapped around her slender waist and reached forward, landing on the back of Ye Yanxi's hand. Then Xiao Yu gently pulled Ye into his arms.
This sudden movement startled Ye Yanxi. She could feel Xiao Yu's body temperature behind her. It was as hot as a stove.
"If you're so reluctant to let her go, why didn't you go downstairs to see her off just now?" Xiao Yu rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered softly. His voice was extremely pleasant.
"I'm not reluctant. It's just..." Halfway through her sentence, Ye Yanxi started to struggle restlessly in his arms. "It's so hot. Stay away from me. Don't hold me so tight. It's uncomfortable."
This clearly disgusted tone made Xiao Yu frown.
But like a child throwing a tantrum, instead of letting go, he deliberately held her tighter. He also playfully rubbed the stubble on his chin against Ye Yanxi's delicate face.
Ye Yanxi immediately felt a tingling sensation on her face. The stubble was pricking her, and she knew he was doing it on purpose. So she pushed his face away in disgust.
"It hurts. Get away from me!"
But Xiao Yu playfully rubbed his cheek against her hand. His mouth even moved restlessly on her fingertips. This made Ye Yanxi feel hot all over.
It was already hot outside, and this was like adding fuel to the fire. Xiao Yu was such a shameless guy!
Sighing, Ye Yanxi decided she couldn't just let him do whatever he wanted. So she rolled her eyes and came up with an idea. She looked at Xiao Yu with a big smile. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I just came out of the bathroom and didn't wash my hands."
As soon as she said this, Xiao Yu's body stiffened. He immediately stopped teasing her and quickly let go of Ye Yanxi.
This series of actions made Ye Yanxi couldn't help but giggle. After Xiao Yu completely let go of her, Ye Yanxi calmly made a face at him.
Xiao Yu immediately realized that Ye Yanxi had just deliberately tried to disgust him. So he pulled her back into his arms without showing any weakness. This time, he kissed her lips eagerly. The air instantly became extremely hot. "Then you should also taste yourself."
After the kiss, Ye Yanxi was, of course, out of breath and fell into Xiao Yu's arms.
After achieving his goal, Xiao Yu chuckled, picked her up, and walked towards the bed.
Every time after kissing Xiao Yu, Ye Yanxi felt extremely embarrassed. Why was she always so easily melted in Xiao Yu's arms? Now it was even worse. She couldn't even walk. It was so embarrassing!
Thinking of this, Ye Yanxi was filled with resentment. She stared at Xiao Yu with her round eyes. Instead of looking fierce, she looked even cuter.
"Aren't you going to work today? Go and work quickly!" Ye Yanxi had no choice but to urge him.
But Xiao Yu still stared at her with a half - smile. His unfathomable look made Ye Yanxi want to find a hole to hide in.
"If you want to laugh, just laugh."
Out of anger, Ye Yanxi decided to just let it go. It wasn't the first time she had been embarrassed anyway.
"Why would I laugh at you?"
Fine, since you said so yourself. "Then I'm going to rest. You can leave."
"Okay, before I leave, I have to ask you why you had to go to the company today?" Xiao Yu's expression changed quickly. Now he had a straight face and quickly became the serious and intimidating president.
Ye Yanxi knew she couldn't avoid this question. She blinked her eyelashes. "There's no special reason. Didn't I tell you before?"
"Do you think I'll believe your nonsense?" Xiao Yu squinted his eyes. "You must stay at home tomorrow. Don't go anywhere."
Ye Yanxi immediately pulled a long face. "Don't keep me at home all the time. I'm going to mold. It's so boring."
"There are a lot of books at home. If you don't want to read, you can also take a walk in the garden."
"That won't work either." Ye Yanxi immediately seriously listed all kinds of reasons. "I've always liked to walk around. If you keep me in one place all the time, I'll be bored to death. I went to the company today, and I felt fine. It means I've recovered. I don't need to rest anymore."
"You may not feel anything now, but it doesn't mean you're okay. You just fell down the stairs. It's only been a few days since you were discharged from the hospital."
"The doctor said I have a good physical foundation. Even if I go to practice taekwondo now, there won't be any problem!" Ye Yanxi immediately patted her chest to guarantee.
But as soon as she said this, Xiao Yu's face darkened.
"You still want to practice taekwondo?"
Ye Yanxi realized she had said something wrong. She immediately laughed awkwardly and explained. "Well... I was just making an analogy. How could I go to practice taekwondo now?"
"Don't even think about it!"
He's such a tyrant, shameless and autocratic. Ye Yanxi murmured a few words in a low voice, looking extremely depressed.
"What did you say?"
Ye Yanxi immediately beamed with a smile. Her eyes were full of innocence. "I mean, what the president said is really right."
"Since you understand, then rest obediently."
"Work just means sitting in the office. It's not that tiring. If it's something related to the project, I can stay away. I'll just do some paperwork. There should be no problem, right?"
"You really want to go to work that much?"
"I've already said that I can't stay at home." Ye Yanxi said gloomily. Her eyes were full of resentment. "If you don't agree, I might sneak out in the future, just like today."
Anyway, she had a trump card in her hand now. It would be a waste not to use it. Xiao Yu couldn't do anything to her.
As she spoke, she deliberately put her hands on her lower abdomen and stared at Xiao Yu provocatively.
Seeing that she was so persistent, Xiao Yu stared at her with his dark eyes for a few seconds. Ye Yanxi, of course, stared back without showing any weakness.
Reluctantly, Xiao Yu gave in. "Since that's the case, remember what you just said. Just stay in the office. If I find out you do anything else..."
Ye Yanxi's eyes lit up. She immediately interrupted him happily. "Do you mean I can go to the company with you?"
"But I have a condition."